Hotels near The Rosario Islands

The Islas del Rosario are an archipelago of 27 coral islands about 35 km southwest of the city, protected since 1977 inside the Corales del Rosario y San Bernardo national park. This is where the clear Caribbean water people picture actually is. Speedboats leave Muelle Turistico de la Bodeguita between 08:00 and 09:00 and take 45 to 60 minutes, depending on swell and how many drop-offs the boat makes along the way.

A standard day trip costs 180,000 to 250,000 COP (42 to 58 EUR) and normally covers the boat, a beach club day pass and lunch, with a park fee of about 20,000 COP (4.60 EUR) collected separately at the dock. Isla Grande has the best snorkelling and the bioluminescent lagoon at Encanto. Between June and November the sea can be rough enough to make the crossing genuinely unpleasant, and operators cancel outright when the port authority closes departures.

Pro Tip: Book the 08:00 departure rather than the 09:00 one. You reach the reef before the water is churned up by boat traffic and you are back at the dock by 16:00 instead of 17:30. Sit at the stern if you are prone to seasickness.